


Sibling Rivalry

by kittys_fic



Category: Loki Fandom, Loki laufeyson - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Betrothed, F/M, Loki fluff, Secret Relationship, Wedding, big decision
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-22 03:54:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14300217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittys_fic/pseuds/kittys_fic
Summary: You are betrothed to Thor, soon to be wed. Loki is not happy about the situation and the reason why comes as a huge shock and surprise.





	1. Chapter 1

You stand in the great hall before the throne, your mother and father flanking you on either side. You are dressed in your finest gown, your hair arranged in an elaborate up-do. You had spent all morning getting ready for your presentation. Frigga had sent two of her handmaidens to ensure that you looked your best for this prestigious event.

Your mother takes your hand and squeezes it. You are very, very nervous and the feeling of her hand in yours helps to calm your nerves a bit. You look at her, and she looks back at you and smiles.

Odin and Frigga stand in front of the throne, their son Thor next to them, slightly off to the side. Their other son Loki stands a few steps down from the others. Both sons are dressed in their finest armor and capes. Loki wears his horned helmet, but Thor’s helmet is in his hands. Thor looks about as nervous as you are. Loki just looks bored.

Odin hits his staff on the ground three times, and the crowd in the great hall grows quiet. You stand as straight as you can. Your father puts his hand on your shoulder.

“Andreas, son of Magnus, whom have you come to present to us?” Odin bellows as Frigga smiles and extends her hand toward you.

“I present Y/N, my only daughter,” says your father, “To be the betrothed of Thor, son of Odin.”

You take a few steps forward. Odin looks at you benevolently. Frigga is still smiling. Thor looks at you and gives a nervous-looking grin and a wink. You grab the sides of your skirt and give your best curtsy.

Odin speaks again. “Thor, my son,” he says. “Do you accept this woman as your betrothed?”

Thor straightens up, his long blond locks falling around his face. “Yes, I do accept,” he says.

Odin motions to you to come towards him. “Come forward, Y/N.”

You walk up the steps to meet Thor at the top. He offers his arm to you, and you take it. The two of you stand arm-in-arm, facing the crowd, which begins to cheer. Thor beams with pride as the sound of applause fills the hall. Out of the corner of your eye, you think you see Loki yawn.

“I hereby decree,” Odin says, “That the wedding will take place six weeks from today. All of Asgard is invited to the festivities.”

This causes more cheering to come from the crowd. You look up at Thor, who is much taller than you. His golden hair and beard, his friendly smile, his muscular arms… all those things that initially attracted you to him still take your breath away. And now you are betrothed to him, soon to be his bride. It all seems too good to be true.

Thor chuckles to himself and plays to the crowd, leaning over to kiss you. It is a stiff, chaste kiss, void of any real emotion, yet you still like it. Loki rolls his eyes and looks thoroughly exasperated.

And so begins your whirlwind engagement to Thor, son of Odin.

The next few weeks are full of planning. Your mother and Frigga see to most of the preparations – the food, the music, the dress, the flowers, the bridal party – so many things that need to be done. You feel as if you’re being pulled in a thousand different directions. Thor doesn’t seem to be very involved, but you don’t hold that against him. The groom never has to do very much, it seems, only make sure to be there at the right time.

One day, as you are attending yet another dress fitting, you overhear a rather loud conversation coming from the next room. You recognize Odin and Loki’s voices.

“Do I really have to do this?” Loki says.

“You are Thor’s brother,” says Odin. “It’s only proper that you be his Best Man.”

“Surely there is someone more suited to the role than I,” Loki says.

“It will be you,” says Odin. “And that’s the end of it.”

You hear Loki leave the room in what sounds like a bit of a huff, the door shutting behind him. A few seconds later, Frigga appears in the room where you are.

“How goes the fitting?” she inquires of the seamstress.

“Mmmf,” the seamstress replies, her mouth holding several pins.

Frigga looks at you. “You look lovely, my dear,” she says with a smile that makes the corners of her eyes wrinkle. “A very fine choice of dress.”

You blush a bit. “Thank you,” you say softly.

“I hope you didn’t hear any of the racket from next door,” Frigga says. “It appears Loki is none too thrilled to be his brother’s Best Man.”

“I wonder why,” you say. “Why would he not want such an honor?”

Frigga frowns. “Loki is an unusual soul. Who knows what goes through his troubled mind?”

You nod. Suddenly, you see something out of the corner of your eye, like a shadow moving along the wall. You turn to look at it, but there is nothing there.

“What is it, my dear?” Frigga says.

“I… thought I saw something,” you reply.

“Oh,” says Frigga. “Perhaps you are stressed from the preparations. Why don’t you head down to the gardens for a walk to clear your head?”

You look down at the seamstress who is fussing with the hem of your dress. She looks up at you, and takes the pins out of her mouth.

“I’ll be finished in a couple of minutes,” she says. “Then you can go.”

Frigga stays in the room until you are finished with the seamstress. She has a smile on her face, yet something in her eyes says she is concerned about something. You give a small curtsy to her before you leave. Frigga closes the door behind you.

You are curious. You think about just going straight to the gardens, but instead you put your ear to the door.

“Leave her alone,” you hear Frigga say.

Who is she talking to? The seamstress? She didn’t do anything wrong. There’s no one else in the room. Or is there? Does this have something to do with the shadow you thought you saw?

You head down to the gardens, still thinking about who Frigga could have been talking to. As you approach the entrance gate, you hear footsteps behind you. You turn around to see who’s following you, but again, there’s nothing there.

“Maybe I’m going mad,” you say to yourself, and continue into the gardens.

You walk around for a few minutes, taking in the fresh aroma of the flowers. You pause at a fountain and peer at your reflection in the water. _Soon I’ll be Thor’s bride_ , you think to yourself, and the thought makes you smile.

“You’re lovely when you smile,” a voice says behind you. You turn around quickly. Loki is standing a few feet away from you. He gives a small bow when you see him.

“Loki,” you say. “You startled me.”

“My sincerest apologies,” he says.

“What do you want?” you ask him. You’re not angry with him, just surprised that he would want your attention for anything.

“I was hoping I could have a word with you,” Loki replies, taking a step towards you. “I was hoping to… change your mind.”

You are confused. “Change my mind?” you say. “What do you mean?”

“About my brother,” Loki says. “I don’t think you should marry him.”

“Not marry Thor? Why not?” you say.

Loki pauses. “Oh dear, this is difficult.” He takes a deep breath. “I don’t want you to marry my brother because he doesn’t love you. Not like I do.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki reveals his feelings for you, and you need to make a very important decision.

You are stunned. Is what Loki says true? Thor doesn’t love you? Then why would he agree to marry you? You feel your heart begin to sink.

“He doesn’t love me?” you ask, not quite believing the words coming out of your mouth.

“No,” says Loki.

“And… and you do?”

“Yes,” he says.

You pause for a moment, then look for a bench to sit down. “I don’t understand,” you say as you feel the sting of tears in your eyes.

“It’s pretty simple,” says Loki. “My brother is marrying you because Odin decreed it. He doesn’t have any feelings for you, none at all. I, on the other hand…”

You motion for him to sit next to you on the bench. “Why didn’t you say anything before?” you ask him as he takes a seat.

“I was uncertain if I should say anything at all,” he replies. “To go against my father’s wishes…”

You look at him, sitting next to you, with his raven hair and deep blue eyes. He looks nothing like Thor, yet he is still quite appealing to look at. He looks somewhat nervous, fidgeting, rubbing one hand with the other.

You sigh heavily. “Well,” you say. “This is a predicament.”

Loki looks at you hopefully. “Y/N,” he says. “Do you… have you ever…”

“Have I ever thought about marrying you instead of Thor?” you say. “Honestly, I haven’t, until now.”’

“I don’t blame you,” says Loki. “My brother is a handsome man, strong and bold. All the ladies wish to be his bride. Me? I’m just living in his shadow, trying not to look like a fool to my father.” He looks down at his hands.

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” you tell him. You feel sorry for him, having to fight for his father’s attention when it comes so easy to his brother. You reach over and put your hand on his. He looks up at you, a small smile on his lips.

A light breeze blows through the garden, wafting the scent of roses and lilacs. You breathe deeply, enjoying the scent.

“You like the flowers,” Loki says.

“Yes,” you reply. “Very much.”

“I would give you all the flowers in the kingdom if they were mine to give,” he says softly. This makes you smile again. “Ah, there’s that smile I love so much,” he says. He lifts your hand to his lips, kissing it sweetly.

You are beginning to warm to Loki. He is handsome, in a different way, and seems to really care for you. But how much do you know about him? Not much. He is always standing in the shadows, just out of reach.

“If what you say is true,” you say, “Then I cannot marry Thor. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t love me, even though I…”

“You love him?” says Loki.

“I thought I did,” you say. “I really thought I did. But maybe I am only in love with the idea of him, and the idea of being married to him.”

“You wouldn’t be the first,” says Loki.

“I need to think about this,” you say. “I need to make a decision. Do I want to go through with it, make everyone happy and marry Thor, and risk being unhappy myself? Or do I want to go against Odin and call it off, and probably be a lot happier?”

“It’s a difficult decision,” says Loki. “I do not envy you.”

You look into Loki’s eyes. Your hand is still on his. You interlace your fingers with his. “If I do call it off,” you tell him, “What would Odin say if I told him I wanted to marry you instead?”

“I don’t know,” he replies. “He would probably not like the idea.”

“I do know one thing,” you say. “I would much rather be with someone who loves me.”

Loki smiles. You smile back. His eyes are starting to intoxicate you. You lean forward and kiss him on the cheek, lingering a moment. You hear him catch his breath.

“I fear I’ve been gone too long,” you say. “They will be wondering about me.”

Loki snaps out of his daze. “Ah yes,” he says. “Let me see you back to the palace.”

As the two of you walk back to the palace entrance, slowly, you tell Loki that you will let him know as soon as you make your decision. “I don’t have much time left,” you say. “There’s only two more weeks before the wedding.”

“I’ll be waiting anxiously,” Loki replies as you enter the palace. Frigga is standing in the foyer, looking none too pleased to see Loki with you.

“What did I tell you, Loki?” she says sternly, folding her arms in front of her.

Loki looks at his mother. “I…”

“He was just telling me about how he is going to be Thor’s Best Man,” you say quickly. Loki looks at you with relief in his eyes.

“All right then,” says Frigga, who doesn’t sound convinced. “Come, both of you. It’s time for dinner.”

At dinner, you are seated next to Thor. He doesn’t say a word to you for the entire meal, instead only talking to his warrior friends. You look at him while he eats and talks. His table manners are atrocious. You begin to think Loki might be right, that Thor doesn’t really love you, that he’s only agreed to marry you because his father forced him to.

Odin and your father carry on a conversation about… something. You really aren’t paying any attention to them. Your mind is a in a whirl. You need to make a decision, and soon. You feel Loki’s eyes on you as you try to eat your food, even though you have no appetite. You try to cast your glance to Loki casually, without attracting too much attention. Your eyes meet his, just for a moment. He smiles at you, and you feel your heart leap. _What is this?_ you think to yourself. _Am I… attracted to Loki?_ You really do have a lot of thinking to do.

Needless to say, you have a lot of trouble sleeping that night. Your thoughts are all over the place, first to Thor, then to Loki, then to your parents and how much shame they might feel if you were to call off the wedding. Is the wedding even yours to call off? Do you have any say in the matter? You have to know.

The next morning, you go to your mother, who is out on the terrace enjoying the sunshine. “Mother,” you say to her. “I have to talk to you about something.”

“What is it, child?” she says.

“I have become privy to some information,” you say. “About Thor.”

“What about Thor? What have you heard?” She looks puzzled.

“Thor does not love me, mother,” you say, trying hard to hold back tears. “He only wishes to marry me because his father decreed it.”

Your mother looks at you and smiles. “Well of course, my love,” she says. “That’s how these things work.”

“What?” you exclaim.

“Odin picked you to be Thor’s bride,” your mother continues. “Picked you out of everyone else. You should feel proud.”

“I don’t feel proud,” you say, a tear sliding down your cheek. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my days with someone who doesn’t love me.”

“Oh, my darling daughter,” she says. “So naive. You may be uncomfortable at first, but you and Thor will develop a relationship, just like your father and me, like Odin and Frigga. It’ll all work out in the end, trust me.”

You’re not sure if you want to tell your mother about Loki if she’s going to talk to you like this. You nod your head solemnly, wiping away tears.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding day has arrived. What will happen?

You stand in the foyer to the great hall in your bridal gown, holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the royal gardens, waiting for your time to walk down the aisle. Your father and mother stand on either side of you, ready to walk with you.

Your heart is not happy. As the past two weeks have gone by, you found yourself feeling less and less like you want to marry Thor. It became obvious to you that he did not truly love you. You could see it in the way he interacted with you, or rather, didn’t interact with you. In the six weeks since the presentation, he barely said a word to you unless he was told to. Most of the time he didn’t even look at you. 

Loki, on the other hand, has been nothing but attentive and caring. It’s very clear that he loves you. And you’ve found yourself developing feelings for him despite your best intentions. He just managed to work his way into your heart.

You look over at your mother. She smiles at you, but you do not smile back. Your face reveals your uncertainty. “Mother…” you begin to say.

“Smile, my darling,” she says. “Just smile and it will be alright.”

But you can’t smile. And you can’t stop thinking about Loki. You can almost feel him there next to you right now, with his beautiful blue eyes and charming smile.

“Y/N,” you hear him say. Did you just imagine that?

“Over here, dear,” he says. He’s standing by the door to the great hall. Your smile finally appears when you see him. He walks over to where you’re standing. “You look… lovely,” he says with a hint of melancholy in his voice.

You can’t quite look at him. You feel so guilty for letting him down. You look down at the flowers in your hands.

“Do you like the flowers?” Loki asks. “I had them picked special for you.”

You look up at him, surprise in your eyes. “You picked these for me?”

“Of course, my dear,” he says. “I know which ones you like best.”

“Loki,” you whisper so your parents can’t hear. “I’m so sorry.”

Loki leans his head close to yours. “I know,” he whispers. “There’s nothing you can do.” He looks over to where your parents are to make sure they’re not watching, then gives you a quick kiss on the forehead before heading back into the great hall.

You take a deep breath, then rejoin your parents as the music starts. The doors to the great hall open slowly. Everyone in the hall turns to look at you. You hear a few gasps as they see you in your bridal gown and veil with the beautiful flowers that Loki picked for you.

You see Thor standing at the bottom of the stairs at the front of the room. He smiles when he sees you. He is dressed in his finest armor, which has been polished to a bright sheen. Odin and Frigga are standing at the top of the stairs, smiling. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three stand along the stairs at various levels, all dressed in their finest armor.

But where is Loki? You do not see him anywhere at the front of the hall. You thought he would have to stand next to his brother.

As you and your parents make your way down the aisle, you feel tears starting to form in your eyes. You swallow hard and try your best to keep them from falling down your face. _They can’t see me cry_ , you think to yourself.

You manage to make it to the front of the hall without the tears falling. Your mother and father give you over to Thor, who takes you by the arm and leads you up the stairs to stand in front of Odin and Frigga.

You look up at Thor, who looks down at you and winks. Lady Sif comes up to take your flower bouquet. You are reluctant to let it go.

“We are here today,” bellows Odin, “To join these two in the bonds of matrimony.”

Thor turns to face you and takes your hands. You smile weakly, feeling yourself tremble. You will have to say your vows soon. Will you be able to say them, or will you refuse, and create a huge scene in front of all of Asgard?

“Whosoever has reason that these two should not be wed,” Odin continues, “Speak now, or forever remain silent.”

A moment passes. You mind is spinning. You feel like you should say something, but you do not know if it is your place to do so. You want so badly to stop this madness. You inhale…

“STOP!”

The voice is coming from the back of the hall. Everyone turns around. Loki stands near the doors, daggers in his hands.

“I say they should not be wed!” he exclaims, pointing a dagger at Thor.

Odin is unfazed. “Loki,” he says. “What say you? Why should they not be wed?”

Loki walks forward, down the aisle, making his way to the front of the hall. “My brother does not love Y/N,” he says. “He will not make a good husband to her.” He continues to walk forward. “He does not love her like I do. Let her marry me.”

“Brother,” says Thor, “She is not yours to have. She is betrothed to me.”

“Like you care,” says Loki defiantly, dagger still raised. “You will not make her happy.”

“And you will?” says Thor.

“I will,” says Loki.

Thor extends his arm. His hammer comes flying through the hall and into his hand. He raises it into the air. “If you want her,” he says, “Come and get her.”

Thor throws his hammer straight at Loki. It passes through what turns out to be merely a mirage of Loki, which disappears as the hammer passes.

“Illusions!” exclaims Thor angrily.

You feel a tug at your sleeve. You turn, and see Loki next to you. You nod at him, and he grabs your arm and leads you out quickly through a side door, leaving a mirage of you standing in your original place.

You follow him down a twisting staircase into the catacombs of the palace. “We don’t have much time before they notice you’re gone,” says Loki. “They’ll come looking for you. They won’t think to look down here.”

The catacombs are dark and eerie, with only a few torches to light the way. you make your way through several chambers, then Loki stops and turns to face you.

“My love,” he says, taking your hands and looking into your eyes. “At last we are alone.” He leans forward and kisses your lips. You throw your arms around his shoulders, close your eyes and melt into his kiss.

And in that moment, you realize you made the right decision.


End file.
